Heart Of The Void
by Fellguarde
Summary: Tethis,a renegade Shadow Adept for hire is sent on a mission to kill one of the Calibur heroes and, after a twist of fate is drawn into an adventure of epic proportions. My fist fic please read and review
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the names, characters, places or weapons from Soul Calibur.  
  
Heart of the Void.   
  
Tethis crept across the tiled roof on all fours, keeping his head low as he thought about his next move. Against the night sky he could hardly be seen as he sprung onto the next roof, landing without a sound. He had successfully completed hundreds of missions just like this. He was the best, and he knew it. His hand reached for his serrated blade, Serathil and drew it from its scabbard. As he did this, the cold, disembodied voice of Drauthyl pierced the silence.   
  
"How much longer?" Tethis thought for a moment and then replied "not long".   
  
Tethis had known Drauthyl longer than he could remember. He had been possessed by the ancient dragon ghost when he was four, and although being flooded with eons of experience and knowledge he easily won the battle of wills that decided who could control his body. This left Dauthyl trapped, a predicament which he hates. Over the years however, Dauthyl has come to know and even care for Tethis.   
  
Siegfried could hear something. He lay in his bed, listening to the roof. From what he could hear, someone or something was up there. It was probably nothing. However, he thought, he had made many enemies while under the influence of the Soul Edge, the dark sword that had awoken something terrible within him. He could still feel it, scrabbling around in his mind. Nightmare. Sitting up, he turned to look upon his companions. Link was sleeping peacefully, his long ears twitching occasionally. On his left was Cassandra, who was also fast asleep. Tikal was...gone. Probably sitting at the harbour, listening to the wind. Siegfried stood, silently slipping on his clothes. Since he couldn't sleep maybe he would go down to the harbour and talk to Tikal for a while. Suddenly, the ceiling creaked. Siegfried instinctively looked at the windows, his malformed, demonic arm reaching for his sword.   
  
Tethis winced. For the first time ever he had made a mistake on a mission. He waited in silence, shivering as a cold breeze blew past. He waited for almost a minute before deciding that he had gone unnoticed. Then, feeling the tiles of the roof, he reached out with his mind, touching the shadows within the house, listening to the voice of the darkness. He could feel the presence of three within. So, one was gone. Concentrating harder, he found that the target was still within the house. While in this state however, he noticed something else, something terrible. Closing his mind, Tethis gathered the shadows around him and formed a black rope that sprang into life, attaching itself to the window frame below him. Swinging into the house, he surveyed his surroundings. There were four beds within. Two were empty. More importantly, there was a sword point inches away from his left eye. A big sword. In fact, it was only a foot or two shorter than him. Its silver, slightly wedge shaped blade was covered with runes. Holding the sword was a tall, blond man of around twenty with bright blue eyes. However even the sword he held was not as intriguing as his left arm. It was a huge, demonic limb that looked like it could fell a young dragon with a single blow. Staring at it, Tethis could feel the same evil presence that he had felt on the roof.   
  
Tethis and Siegfried stood there, completely motionless, both awaiting the others move. Tethis made one. Slicing upwards with Serathil he knocked Siegfrieds huge blade out of his way, preparing to stab at the demonic warriors face. As the blade fell, siegfried caught it with his massive arm, throwing the shadow adept backwards and causing him to lose his balance. As Tethis fell, Siegfried struck, sending his sword downwards in a deadly arc, towards the falling assassin. In mid fall, staring at the falling blade, Tethis called upon the shadows to do his bidding, and a sphere of darkness appeared around him, deflecting the oncoming blow and returning him to his feet. Seeing this, Siegfried swiped at Tethis with his blade, narrowly missing the assassins head and deeply embedding his sword in the wooden wall. Taking advantage of this, Tethis lashed out at Siegfrieds legs with his foot, tripping him. Standing over the siegfried, Tethis prepared to end the fight, raising Serathil. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the assassin. He was clad in black ninja ware and bore the symbol of the black claw, the group that had hired him for this mission! So, they would incur his wrath rather than paying him? Snarling, Tethis unleashed a bolt of darkness upon the would-be assassin, instantly killing him. Turning to face Siegfried once again, he noticed the huge fist heading for his face. "Lights out time", said the eerie voice of Drauthyl. 


	2. Rude Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, names, places or weapons from Soul Calibur.   
  
Sorry about the first chapter being so short. This one will be quite small too, but they will get longer as the story goes on.   
  
Tethis opened his eyes. All he could see was the clear sky above him. A clear blue sky. He must have been out hours, maybe even days. Even worse, he had lost a fight. He never lost fights. That blonde guy would pay dearly. But not now. Right now Tethis ached all over and could feel the part of his face that had been hit. Then, suddenly he realized that there were people sitting around him. One of them was the man who had punched him. Immediately he forgot the pain and jumped to his feet, and for the fist time he saw the Fishing town of Dealven.   
  
Dealven was just waking up, its inhabitants answering the call of morning and setting off to play their parts in a daily routine that would probably take up most of their lives. Dealven itself was a small town, unknown by most. Nothing of great importance had ever happened there, no heroes had been born within. Unless you class fishermen as heroes. The town was of Greek make, its roads narrow and winding. It stood at the base of a mountain, between the sea and the lush forests. In this town of no significance however, was a certain peer. At this peer, once a year, a ship would drop sails and stay for a week or two, bringing with it tales of adventure and heroic deeds. For this ship belonged to a certain man. A man called Maxi.   
  
"I deserve a re-match, you cheated"!   
  
"I did not cheat, I hit you".   
  
"But you prepared to hit me while I was dealing with someone else".   
  
"That doesn't count as cheating. Anyway, you were about to stab me while I was on the floor".   
  
"In my books, that's not cheating"...   
  
The argument had been going for hours. Link, Tikal and Cassandra stood against the wall of a bakery, waiting for their garlic bread and watching the pointless conversation. Some time passed before the baker handed them their bread and they decided to interfere in the little row. As they approached the two raging men, Link shouted "Sieg, want something from the bakery, this breads pretty good". Immediately, both Siegfried and Tethis simultaneously said, "Cheese roll, slightly toasted with onions and tomato". The silence that followed was broken by the sarcastic voice of Drauthyl.   
  
"Tethis, I think you may have found true love".   
  
Hearing the voice of the dead dragon, Cassandra said "and who, exactly was that"?   
  
In a tone of voice that suggested that everyone was possessed by an ancient dragon spirit, Tethis replied "That's just Drauthyl. He lives inside me".   
  
Cassandra began muttering something under her breath that sounded something like "Oh, is that it".   
  
Before anyone could begin speaking again, Siegfried grabbed Tethis by the neck and slammed him against the wall. After Tethis stopped struggling he said, "Look, all I really want from you is the name of whoever sent you to kill me".   
  
Siegfried loosened his grip slightly before Tethis said,   
  
"A group called the Black Claw".   
  
"And the man that you killed"? Inquired Siegfried.   
  
"He was one of their Agents. Probably sent to kill me so that they wouldn't have to pay the high price of my services".   
  
Opening his malformed hand, Siegfried let Tethis fall to the floor.   
  
Turning to his companions he said, "Lets find Maxi and get out of here".   
  
As the four warriors turned to leave, Tethis, gasping for breath said, "I'm coming with you, since the black claw tried to kill me too I'd quite like to get my hands around their necks, you need me to find them for you anyway".   
  
The four friends stood still for a moment, then without having to talk amongst each other they made their decision. Link walked back to Tethis, helped him off the floor and with that, the five of them began to walk down toward the peers. 


	3. The Pearl Wing

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the names, characters, places or weapons from Soul Calibur.   
  
The sun beat down upon the dusty cobbles of Daelven, the heat of midday creating a shimmer in the air and forcing all that occupied the town to take shelter within the cool shade of their cosy houses. All but five. Tethis wiped his sweating brow and gazed at his "companions". Link seemed to be having as much trouble with the heat as he was and Cassandra didn't look too happy either. Siegfried however, was ignoring the heat completely. He wasn't even sweating! As he stared the voice of Dauthyl formed in his head.   
  
"I've been speaking to him you know. He's got quite an interesting past".   
  
Tethis replied in a hushed tone, although he knew no one could hear him think,   
  
"I've not seen you speaking to Siegfried".   
  
The voice in his head laughed. "No not Siegfried, the one inside him. You felt him earlier. That terrible feeling of corruption and unfeeling malice, remember".   
  
Tethis definitely did remember. He would never forget.   
  
"What is it"?   
  
"A demon of vast power. He said that he once ruled a part of the Void but was banished to this realm in the form of the ultimate sword".   
  
Tethis' conversation with Dauthyl was cut short by Cassandra shaking him.   
  
"Hello, is anybody there"?   
  
Tethis snapped out a reply, his voice like the crack of a whip. "Yes I'm listening".   
  
"Alright don't have a fit" said Cassandra, "Feast your eyes upon the Pearl wing".   
  
Tethis gasped. The ship before them was a magnificent creation. It seemed to be held together by bands of pure pearl, its sails shaped like outstretched white wings. It's sleek hull smooth and almost reflecting the sun. At its front was a figurehead designed to look like a pair of white wings cradling a pearl. And striding down the gangplank protruding from its side was a man wearing the dandiest clothes Tethis had ever seen. In fact, the man seemed to radiate pure dandy, especially his hair. As the man got closer it became noticeable that he was wearing a huge grin. Striding up to them, he gave Siegfried a playful punch in the shoulder; kissed Tikal and Cassandra's hands and shook Links hand almost in one movement. He then turned to Tethis and said, "Do I know you"?   
  
Tethis held out his hand and replied; "no, I don't think so".   
  
"If that is so, Maxi is pleased to meet you Mr..."?   
  
"Tethis".   
  
After the quick exchange of names, Maxi turned to look Siegfried in the eye. Siegfried nodded, and Maxi sent his fist speeding towards Tethis, who's hand moved so fast that it appeared to not need to cross the intervening air between his and Maxi's arms. Pushing Maxi backwards with the palm of his hand, Tethis unleashed a whirlwind of vicious unarmed attacks, each expertly blocked by Maxi's unique fighting style. Seeing that his furious assault had proved ineffective, Tethis gathered an aura of shadow energy around his right hand, although in the bright sunlight its power was weakened by a sizable amount. Striking out with the shadow-infused hand, Tethis knocked Maxi off his feet, who sprang back, throwing a barrage of spinning kicks at Tethis. Driven back by the speed of the attack, Tethis stood at the edge of the cobbles, his back to the sea. Maxi came in for another fast attack, this time using his fists. Tethis weaved around the punches, ducking and sidestepping the oncoming attacks. Then, as Tethis began to become more enraged, Siegfried and Link dragged the two of them apart.   
  
"Why?"; said Tethis his voice dripping with confusion.   
  
"To see if you can hold your own in a fistfight" replied Link "we don't use our weapons on innocent people who have been misguided or are under the command of their superior"...   
  
Telra'Dath closed his crimson eyes, awaiting a powerful surge of magic to flow through him. The day was becoming late, and he had put this off for far to long already. He was sitting inside a triangular rune, in front of a much larger circular rune of binding. Feeling the soft hum of the magic, he let it flow through him freely, becoming a conduit for dark energies of the void. Summoning his courage he whispered the words; "Nezereshee". Instantly a hovering ball of flame appeared in the circular rune. Again he muttered the cursed word; "Nezereshee", this time louder and with a commanding tone of voice. Not feeling any change in the flame, he opened his mouth to utter the dire word a third time. This time the flame began to take shape, twisting and writhing it eventually became a four-armed creature, seemingly made of darkness. It stood at eleven feet, its head bestial, almost like a hellish wolf with no hair, its eyes redder than Telra'Dath's and burning with a powerful hunger and hatred for all that lives, its four powerful arms ending in long talons that almost glowed with malevolence. Nezereshee fixed his soul-piercing gaze upon the foolish mortal who had the ignorance to speak his name. His voice full of the malice of hell, he spoke.   
  
"Why have I been called to this puny plane by you, mortal?"   
  
Although faced with an eleven-foot tall embodiment of evil, Telra'Dath spoke with a voice full of cocky confidence. "I have a use for your powers", he said, reaching for his staff, which glowed in anticipation of what was to come. Nezereshee sneered and spoke once more; "you will send me back", the tone of his voice stating that this was not just a demand, but also a threat. "  
  
"Don't be so sure, demon", came the reply.   
  
Hearing such defiance from the mortal mage, Nezereshee held out his hand, calling a ball of searing soulfire into existence. When his show of power went completely unnoticed he snarled with contempt and sent the hellish blast flying through the air towards the seemingly oblivious mage. Nezereshee howled in pain and rage as the protective field around the summoning circle absorbed the attack, doubling its power before smashing it back into Nezereshee. The chuckling of the insignificant mage made him forget the pain and unleash a series of furious strikes of his claws upon the barrier, to no affect.   
  
Telra'Dath held his staff aloft, radiating void energy so powerful that the raging demon was momentarily taken aback. "Enough", he said aiming a stream of red lightening at Nezereshee. The lightening passed through the barrier, instantly engulfing the trapped demon. Nezereshee writhed in pain as the lightening covered him, tearing at him with magical claws and teeth, entering his mouth and eyes to shock his interior, igniting the raw mana that was a part of him. After a minute or two Telra'Dath called the lightening back. Smiling cruelly, he addressed the panting demon. "Do you agree to do my will until my task is over?"   
  
Nezereshee, covered in wounds, snarled in defiance. Again the deadly lightening covered the demon, and once more the void mage asked him for his service. This time Nezereshee uttered a foul word to the mage and roared with anger. For the third time, the terrible lightening was unleashed upon Nezereshee's helpless form. When the torturous spell was called back to its owner, Nezereshee finally gave in. "Fine, I agree to do your bidding, but know this, you have made a powerful enemy beyond the veil. I look forward to seeing you again in the next life". The demon grinned, his pain eased by the thought of meeting Telra'Dath in the Abyss. Hearing the words of the demon, Telra'Dath covered the demon in the vile lightening once again, deciding to keep it upon him for almost an hour. Despite the creatures' defiance, Telra'Dath was in a fine mood. He had captured and won the service of an Archdemon. His master will be pleased. However, the demon's final words had disturbed him. In fact, when he left the summoning room, he realized that he was terrified. 


End file.
